We tend to keep around a fair amount of tinned beans (various types), tinned chickpeas, tinned lentils. They're still pretty cheap and last ages, but they're a lot easier to just use at short notice than stuff that needs soaking.

I like to have emergency party nibbles -nice jar /tin olives, dolmades, a slab of feta in the back of the fridge, some frozen prawns in the freezer, decent tins of three bean salad, some nice crackers and a jar of garlic mayonnaise,

I keep garlic and ginger cubes in the top of the freezer.

My secret ingredient is smoked paprika and I will be restocking with cheap saffron when I go to Budapest with Roger later this year.